RSV is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus of the Paramyxoviridae family. RSV is readily transmitted by secretions from an infected person via surfaces or hand-to-hand transfer. Unlike influenza, it is not transmitted by small-particle aerosols. Following successful inoculation, the incubation period is between four and six days during which time the virus spreads from the nasopharynx to the lower respiratory tract by fusion of infected with uninfected cells and by sloughing of the necrotic epithelium. In infants, coupled with increased mucus secretion and oedema, this can lead to mucus plugging causing hyper-inflation and collapse of distal lung tissue indicative of bronchiolitis. Hypoxia is common and the ability to feed is often impaired because of respiratory distress. In RSV pneumonia, inflammatory infiltration of the airways consists of mononuclear cells and is more generalised, with involvement of the bronchioles, bronchi and alveoli. The duration and degree of viral shedding has been found to correlate with the clinical signs and severity of disease.
RSV is the leading cause of serious respiratory tract infections in infants and young children throughout the world. The highest morbidity and mortality occurs in those born prematurely and for those with chronic lung or heart disease, although many infants hospitalised for RSV infection are otherwise healthy. Severe RSV infection in infancy can lead to several years of recurrent wheezing and is linked to the later development of asthma.
RSV is also a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly and in immunocompromised children and adults as well as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure (CHF).
RSV has a seasonal incidence; it is highly predictable and occurs in the winters of both hemispheres, from September to May in Europe and North America, peaking in December and January, and can occur throughout the year in tropical countries. It affects >90% of infants and young children by the age of two years and as natural immunity is short-lived; many will be re-infected each year. As with influenza, in elderly people, RSV causes around 10% of winter hospitalisations with an associated mortality of 10%.
Current anti-RSV treatment involves the use of a monoclonal antibody to RSV, called palivizumab. Such use of palivizumab is a prophylactic, rather than therapeutic, treatment of RSV. Although this antibody is often effective, its use is restricted to preterm infants and infants at high risk. Indeed, its limited utility means that it is unavailable for many people in need of anti-RSV treatment. There is therefore an urgent need for effective alternatives to existing anti-RSV treatment.
Additionally, several compounds have been proposed as inhibitors of RSV, including benzimidazole-based compounds. For example, K D Combrink et al., Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 17 (2007), 4784-4790 discloses the compound BMS-433771 and variants thereof. Further benzimidazole-based compounds are disclosed in WO-02/062290, WO-03/053344 and WO-10/103306.